Phoenix Park Ski Resort

Phoenix Park is located in the Pyeongchang county of Gangwon-do province and is known for being the best freestyle hill in Korea; it’s therefore no surprise that Phoenix Park is the host hill for most of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics snowboarding and freestyle skiing events.

While still very small by European or North American standards, Phoenix Park is the fourth biggest ski area in Korea and they make a big effort to make the most of what they’ve got.

It also has one of the better natural snowfall records in Korea, so isn’t quite as reliant as most Korean hills on snowmaking – that still isn’t saying much though, and from this author’s observations they’re going to have to work hard keeping it all ship-shape in 2018 (but no harder than they did with Cypress Mountain for Vancouver 2010, so I’m sure they’ll pull it all off)

Phoenix Park has a gondola and 8 chairlifts going up from the one base area; the gondola goes to the top of the main peak, Mont Blanc, which also has 5 chairs going all or partway up its slopes. A further 3 chairs open up the terrain on the smaller Phoenix Peak (Bulsaemaru) to the side.

This is the top section of Phoenix Park’s impressive terrain park (on a soggy day in spring)

As noted above, by European & North American standards it’s small; with 380m of vertical the runs are fairly short, and advanced riders will ski the whole place out well within a 4-hour ticket. That said, it still has more satisfying downhill skiing than the majority of resorts in Korea (behind only Yongpyong, High1, and Muju Deogyusan), with a decent gradient and a few nice steep sections. Combined with the good freestyle on offer, Phoenix Park is probably the best option in the country for advanced riders who’re into park & pipe.

Phoenix Park is good for:

Freestyle; the park is the best in Korea (arguably along with Welli Hilli Park), and it has a halfpipe (one of only a few in Korea).

Intermediate and advanced riders.

Phoenix Park is not so good for:

The 2017/18 season! If you’re visiting during the Olympic season, Phoenix Park will be closed from January 10th and won’t be opening again after the Games. They’re planning to open ASAP in November, but even during the 7 or 8 weeks they’ll be open, parts of the mountain will already be off-limits. You might still want to go, just to check it out and say you’ve been etc, and it’ll still be fun; but if you’re looking for the best hills for 2017/18, see here

Phoenix Park lift tickets

Phoenix Park lift tickets follow the standard ticketing model in Korea, with the operating hours split into day & night by a 2-hour snow grooming break at 4:30pm; the daytime hours (8:30am – 4:30pm) are subdivided into morning and afternoon, and the nighttime hours (6:30pm – 1:00am) are subdivided into night and midnight. You can get a lift ticket for any of the individual time slots, or for various combinations of the above. Also at weekends, operating hours are extended to 4:00am with ‘White Night’ tickets available. Prices range from 50,000 won for a 3-hour Midnight ticket to 89,000 for Afternoon & Night combined (8 hours)

Airbnb is also a great choice in Korea, and they have listings near Phoenix Park in addition to those in Seoul. If you haven’t used Airbnb before, you can get a 35-dollar discount off your first rental by signing up through Snow Guide Korea; simply click on this link and register!

Pyeongchang 2018 accommodation: if you’re visiting for the Olympics, you almost certainly won’t be able to score a room at Phoenix Park (or any of the other resorts in the area); you could search for a room in Gangneung, but those will also be scarce due to Gangneung hosting the indoor events. The closest city to Phoenix Park is Wonju, where you may be able to find something (search for rooms in Wonju); but the vast majority of Olympic visitors will have to stay in Seoul and visit the Olympic venues from there using the new Gangneung KTX bullet train.

For full details on where to stay for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, see this page for advice and the latest updates

How to get to Phoenix Park

The new Gangneung KTX line opened in late 2017 and serves nearby Pyeongchang Station, about 90 minutes from Seoul Station for 19,700 won. Phoenix Park has a free shuttle bus from Pyeongchang Station (25 minutes), schedule here (according to this reader report, there’s also a shuttle at 7.55 in the morning). During the Olympics, shuttle buses will provide access for spectators with tickets.

Should you want to travel by bus, the resort also runs a free shuttle from Jangpyeong bus terminal, which can be reached by highway bus from Dong Seoul (East Seoul) Terminal located next to Line 2’s Gangbyeon Station. The highway bus takes 2 hours, costs around 12,000 won, and runs roughly every 30 minutes, and then the shuttle takes another 20 minutes. The 2016/17 shuttle bus schedule from Jangpyeong bus terminal was 9:15, 11:15, 12:50, 14:50, 15:15, 19:50, and the boarding point is in front of this building opposite the bus station:

If you take a taxi from Jangpyeong, I was quoted 17,000 won when I enquired.

There are also privately operated direct shuttle buses from Seoul to Phoenix Park & back (2-3 hours depending on boarding point, 20000 won); you can make online reservations here. Reservations must be made by 5pm the previous day for morning buses to the resort, however the evening return buses can be booked on the day at the resort (ask at reception).

Here’s the setup for the Pyeongchang 2018 moguls & aerials:

And some cloudy scenery shots from the top (Welli Hilli Park is visible in the distance in the first pic):

Any questions about Phoenix Park? Leave a comment below!

For more Gangwon-do resorts, see here; for full reviews of every Korean ski resort, see here

Hi Simon, your page is amazingly helpful, thanks so much. This is the only place I got to learn about the new KTX line, and I have already booked for early January, thanks! I emailed the hotel to enquire about the shuttle bus from Pyeongchang, but did not get proper reply, it’s as though they know nothing about that, hmm.. Really hope to see you update this page once you found out. Thanks very much again, excellent job !!

Hi again Shamsul, ok so the schedule’s finally fixed and you can see it here. Left table shows Pyeongchang Station to Phoenix Park, right table shows Phoenix Park to Pyeongchang Station. There are only 8 per day, so check the KTX schedule here and ride a train that has a good connection to the shuttle. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks again Simon, extremely helpful. I hate to keep asking, but there’s no English version to this. I’ve figured out a lot from the Korean version (google translate helped), but do you know:
– If a reservation is required for the free shuttle (just in case KTX gets busy)
– If we couldnt get the shuttle, are there taxis there?
– There’s also all-in-one special offer at the bottom of the page, I really couldnt figure out. Looks like ski lift passes, but the original prices not the same with their own website? Or is this the all-in-one prices?

No I don’t think you need a reservation for the shuttle, just wait at the boarding point and hopefully their vehicle is large enough! (I’m sure it will be). If you take a taxi, it will probably cost around 15-20000 won.

I’ve actually already emailed Phoenix back for clarification about the special offer – haven’t heard back yet, but I’ll post again once I know the details!

I went today to Phoenix Park with the KTX. There is actually a 7.55 shuttle bus as well (non-stop in just 15minutes). I was prepared to take a Taxi after the arrival of the 7.37 train from Seoul. But somebody told me that they introduced a 7.55 shuttle.

Simon, Your pages are an extraordinary service, thanks from so many all over! One question if I may, it looks like the posted shuttle schedules don’t include Feb 8 through 26, the actual dates of the games. Any idea why that is? I’m going to try to reserve KTX seats from Seoul per your advice but am now wondering if I should wait for whenever Phoenix Park might post accurate shuttle info.

(By just saying there will be shuttles, the official Olympic site will naturally make readers think there will be shuttles waiting at every KTX arrival to take them to the various venues so thank you again for highlighting that this won’t be the case…)

Hi, yes the reason they haven’t posted those details is that the resort isn’t running shuttles during the games – the resort shuttles are for skiers & resort guests, but the resort’s closed during the Olympics so no shuttle service.

Instead, during the Olympics there’ll be shuttle buses operated by the organising committee, exclusively for use by event ticket holders. So, if you have tickets for an event at Phoenix Park don’t worry about the shuttle bus schedule – you can go ahead and book your KTX tickets! Once you arrive at Pyeongchang Station, follow the directions to the shuttle buses (when choosing your train arrival time, I’d allow plenty of time for navigating the station and potentially lining up & waiting for the shuttle bus).

If you don’t actually have event tickets, then don’t try to visit Phoenix Park during the Olympics as the security arrangements won’t let you close – head to Welli Hilli Park or Yongpyong instead.

hi simon, want to reconfirm that the ski slope is still open till 21st Ｊan 2018? i am going to phoenix park on 18th, and we are going with two 3 years old kids, and we want to find a private tutor for them, and from the official ski school. they could only do a lesson for at least 5 years old kids, do you know any ski school or private coach which i could find?
thanks

Hi Kate, yes, they’re open until the 21st. But I really don’t think you’ll be able to get lessons for your 3-year olds I’m afraid… I was an instructor in the Canadian system, and we never took kids under 5 for lessons. I assume the rules are similar in Korea. Maybe you could look into doing sledding instead? (I’m not sure of the minimum age, you’d need to ask Phoenix Park)

Hi Simon, first of all thank you for all the useful information! I have a question that you may be able to answer: During the Olympics I’ll stay at the Atrium PyeongChang Hotel which I read is (hopefully) near Phoenix SnowPark.My question is: You said the shuttles are suspended during the Olys except for spectators having a ticket; how do I best get from Seoul to my hotel? Taking a KTX to PyeongChang station & then take a taxi? Thank you for your help 🙂 Sarah

Hi Sarah, actually I think the shuttles can be used by anyone, there was some conflicting information but you should be fine to use them without holding a ticket that day.

And yes, your hotel’s right next to Phoenix Park, good call booking that! So the best route would be KTX to Pyeongchang Station, then shuttle TS15 to Phoenix Park; although this might depend on your arrival date, as the trains are pretty booked out on some dates and the shuttles don’t start until the 8th. What day are you travelling to Pyeongchang?

Hi Simon, thanks so much for all the info; makes me feel relieved knowing that. I’ll go to PyeongChang Feb 13th (arriving in Seoul Feb 8th & commuting to the venues for Opening Ceremony etc until I move there until Feb 26th). Still need to get all the public transport; for some reason cannot even access the letskorail site to book tickets. Anyway; thanks a lot again! Sarah

Hi, you could take a bus to Jangpyeong Bus Terminal, or a KTX train to Pyeongchang Station. They’re both near Phoenix Park. You could also drive if you prefer. Personally, I’d take the KTX – if you can manage to get tickets!

Thank you so much for your amazing website – I’ve been reading all over it in the past few weeks to help get ready for the Olympics! We are staying in Dunnae and I have KTX tickets from there to Gangneun or Jinbu for all of our events, so we are set for that. Thanks for posting all the helpful information about the shuttles and trains!

I have a question about sledding at the various ski resorts – I read somewhere that Yongpyong will have sledding open – do you know if that is even during the games? I also was wondering if any of the other ski resorts listed on your website have sledding areas – I have a three year old who would appreciate that if I could find it for some weekend outings this month. 🙂 Finally, do you happen to know if there is still generally snow on the ground at Pheonix Park in early March? Or will it likely be gone by the end of the Olympics?

Thanks for the comment, it’s always great to hear the site’s been useful.

Ok, so if you’re in Dunnae you can easily go skiing or sledding – there’s actually a ski resort in Dunnae! It’s called Welli Hilli Park, see here. I go there every week! They have a shuttle bus from Dunnae Station, see the schedule here (the third box is Dunnae Station > Welli Hilli Park, the fourth box is the return direction. Don’t worry about the first 2 boxes, those are train times). You can also easily take a taxi up to the resort, it’s just a few km out of town.

If you want to go to Yongpyong, they’re actually still (half) open for skiing throughout the Olympics, and I think this includes the sledding. And yes, basically all of the other resorts also have sledding areas too.

And yes there is still snow on the ground at Phoenix Park in early March, they’re usually still open for skiing at that time. However, this year they’re staying closed after the Olympics finish – if you go there in March I’m not sure if you’ll even be able to access anything, you might find the buildings all locked up and nobody around, or there might be loads of workers still there taking the Olympic stuff down. Not sure! But I guess you could possibly just walk around the back of the big main resort building just to have a look at the slopes.

Thank you so much!!! We will definitely check out Welli Hilli, that sounds great! I really appreciate your reply! We may check out the sledding at Yongpyong too although I’m sure it will be way too crazy to be worth it. 🙂

Hi Simon! We found out late that our tickets have to picked up at Cosport Host City Collection Center in Gangneung. We’re arriving same day in Korea and booked a KTX to Pyeongchang Station already. Any idea what’s the fastest way from Collection Center to Phoenix Snow Park?

Yeah, heard about this, what a crazy system that is. I’m not sure exactly where in Gangneung the collection center is, but generally speaking the fastest way from Gangneung to Phoenix Park is KTX from Gangneung Station to Pyeongchang Station (2 stops, 30 minutes) then shuttle bus TS15 to the venue (20 mins, runs every 10 mins). Main issues: check where the collection center is in relation to Gangneung Station and factor in the travel time there. Also factor in that there may be some waiting time to board the shuttle bus at Pyeongchang Station.

Hi Simon,
Thanks you so much for all the info. I am flying in to Incheon airport and staying the night near the airport. I cant get KTX tickets to Phoenix Park until very late the following evening. Am I better to take the bus? Do I need to book it. If so, how do I do that? WIll it leave from close to the airport or do i need to go somewhere else? will the bus take me right to Phoenix or do I need to change to the Ts15. do they run the shuttles late at night? thanks for all your help?

I think the best bet is to try for a standing ticket on one of the morning trains. You can only buy these in person at stations in Korea, but you can do it at the airport station right after you land – go to the ticket counter and see what’s available.

Also remember that if you ride the subway into Seoul, you could board the KTX from Seoul Station, Cheongnyangni, or Sangbong – there are many more departures to Pyeongchang Station from these 3 than there are from the airport. If you search for them now you may even be able to find a seat you can reserve online. Of these 3 stations, Seoul Station is most convenient and Sangbong is least convenient.

If you take a bus it’ll drop you at Jangpyeong Bus Terminal, which is a short distance from Pyeongchang Station where you’d get off the train. The train station & bus terminal are both connected to Phoenix Park by shuttle bus TS15 which takes 20 mins and runs every 10 mins. The shuttles run until 2 hours after the day’s last event.

My recommendation is to see if you can book online using the 3 stations in Seoul. If that’s no good, try for standing tickets after you land. I’d leave the bus as a backup in the event there really aren’t even any standing tickets. (Buses to Jangpyeong go from Dong Seoul Terminal (dong = east), though you might be able to find one direct from the airport to somewhere nearish Phoenix and then taxi for the last bit)

And good question, which I can partly answer – there are 2 peaks at Phoenix Park, one of which is called Phoenix Peak. So the ski resort is named after one of the mountains it’s located on. However, I don’t know if there’s any particular reason why the mountain has that name. But Phoenix imagery is quite common in Korea (as in all East Asian cultures), and I believe Phoenix AZ is also named after the legend of the Phoenix for historical reasons?